By changing the JMP in $AF47 we substitute the internal "exit to basic" code to the standard vic-20 start sequence code so the standard Vic-20 prompt appears and we can load the data file from tape or disk:

LOAD"WORDS",8,1

Then by hitting [RESTORE] (Page UP on VICE) the game restarts and you may select option 4 CASSETTE WORDS successfully.

I've used the e5frog 4K fixed version (with $a000 $a001 fixed pointers) so for the full fixed ROM, by starting from the original 8K dumped rom, you need only the first 4K then these changes:

There is a fixed number of words (without end markers) in the data file, the max lenght file is $600 bytes HEX = 1536 bytes / 8 bytes for each word = 192 words.so the last byte used in memory is $1DFF, from $1E00 starts the video memory of course.

This is a text sequence at the end of $600 bytes in rom and it sounds strange to me, what do you think ?Maybe Charles Goldman is the Programmer and 1982 the year ? and the other words ? who knows ?

I initially copied those words as well to the cassette words list, but when the file is loaded you can see the words appear at the top of the screen. They get deleted as soon as the screen is cleared by the program, so I took them out.

Glad you sorted it out and the missing autostart also got its explanation, didn't realize I had done a mistake, but it wasn't a good patch anyway since the load and save didn't work. Will try the new patch instead...

Of course you should fix that bug, strange way of making a list and have an even eight bytes instead of endmarkers after each word. I guess the programmer thought that was easier. Perhaps it could be patched to an 8k cart with a very large word list...

On the Fairchild Channel F Hangman each letter is coded with five bits, so eight letters in five bytes. Though that was a good space saver - it was fun making a Swedish version of it and encode a new word list.

BTW.... Has there been any recent hardware changes to the Mega-Cart or will it work if I simply download the new version (can I?) and program my spare unused 27C801 roms and swap? (I solder and desolder PLCC32 chips several times per week)